OAKLAND — Stephen Curry got another injection in his sprained left ankle. David Lee logged more minutes on his torn right hip flexor. Rookie Harrison Barnes took a career-high number of shots.

Even Andris Biedrins saw his first action in a month.

The hobbled, desperate, underdog Warriors pushed every button, squeezed out every ounce. And after the 97-87 overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, it all felt so worth it.

“I’m just so glad that a national TV audience had an opportunity to see exactly what’s been taking place in this area,” coach Mark Jackson said. “Just a big-time win. This is a heck of a series.”

Golden State reached deep to muster a late surge to force overtime, then pulled away to knot the best-of-seven playoff series at 2-2. A loss and the Warriors would’ve headed to the Alamo City for Game 5 needing a miracle to advance. But they hustled and scraped and willed the series back into a dogfight.

Curry started but was clearly limited by his ankle. With only 38 hours to recover, he said he took an anti-inflammatory shot before the game because he said the swelling was a problem. He said previously he was hoping that wasn’t an option. But losing was less of an option, apparently.

He was in the starting lineup and finished with 22 points, four assists and six rebounds. But he was robbed of the sudden bursts and change of direction he lives on.

He did most of his damage when he was at point guard. Then, he said, he could control his tempo and needed less work to get open. Three of his five 3-pointers came off the dribble, and his three free throws came off drives to the basket.

It wasn’t quite his previous third-quarter explosions. But considering the circumstances, his 10-point fourth quarter felt like it. It fueled the charge that swung the momentum to the Warriors and triggered the sense of urgency and belief.

“I wanted to play regardless of what I could give,” Curry said. “I was hurting, but I was good enough to play. … I doubt it’ll be 100 percent for the foreseeable future, but knowing that I can be on the court as a threat, I’ve got to be ready.”

With Curry a shell of himself, the Warriors struggled mightily on offense early. They finished at 38 percent shooting with 18 turnovers, failing to top 24 points in any quarter.

But they got 26 points from the rookie Barnes — on 9-of-26 shooting — and 24 from Jarrett Jack — 12 in the fourth quarter and overtime — and their defense kept the game close. The Spurs couldn’t quite figure it out and shot 35.5 percent and failed to reach 90 points despite an extra five minutes.

The Warriors did a much better job containing Spurs All-Star guard Tony Parker, who lit Golden State up for 32 in Game 3. Bothered by a bruised left calf, and more pressure from the Warriors’ defense, Parker needed 17 shots to score 17 points.

Warriors center Andrew Bogut, who had 18 rebounds, helped Golden State dominate the boards and hold Tim Duncan to 19 points on 7-of-22 shooting. After a hot start, San Antonio swingman Manu Ginobili missed nine of his last 13 attempts.

The Spurs managed just three points in overtime and missed 20 of 27 from 3-point range.

“When we can shoot below 40 percent — that’s probably unheard of in Warriors’ history — and win a game, it’s a pretty important step for us,” Bogut said. “A lot of times our offense dictates our defense. This time it didn’t.”

Down 80-72 in the fourth quarter, the Warriors looked to be in trouble. But Jackson turned to his backup guard and he lit a spark.

Going at Parker, Jack dropped in three straight baskets to get the Warriors back in it. Golden State trailed 82-78 with just over three minutes left.

The Warriors’ defense held the Spurs scoreless their next four straight possessions, setting up Jack’s game-tying basket with 58.5 seconds left.

Parker put the Spurs up 84-82 with a pull-up over Jack. But Golden State answered right back on a Klay Thompson drive and scoop off the glass. With 30 seconds left, the game was tied.

The Warriors got another stop, thanks to a big break. Ginobili got free from Barnes with a highlight-reel crossover but missed the wide-open 3. Jack dived in to corral the loose ball and called a timeout with 16 seconds left.

Jack had a chance to win it, but his pull-up jumper bricked at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

He opened overtime with a driving floater over Parker, giving the Warriors the lead. Golden State’s defense then completely shut down the Spurs.

San Antonio went 0 for 6 with a turnover and two missed free throws in the first 3﻿1/2 minutes of overtime.

The Warriors smelled blood. Barnes followed a pair of free throws with a step-back jumper over Ginobili. After another stop, Curry converted a three-point play on a driving layup. His free throw gave the Warriors a 93-84 lead with 1:46 left in overtime.

“I think the biggest thing with this team is we’re never going to give up,” Barnes said. “This team is going to continue to fight, whether shots are falling or shots aren’t.”

Marcus Thompson is a sports columnist for the Bay News Group. After 10 years as an NBA beat writer, he is a leading voice on the Golden State Warriors. An Oakland native, he gives us a relevant voice in the East Bay. He's been with the organization since 1999.

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